The body is short and deep, the eyes are large, and its colouration is grey-black tinged with brown, with a faint network of dark black spots.

[4] This omnivorous fish feeds on plankton, algae, detritus, surface insects, chironomid larvae, benthic crustaceans, and molluscs.

The earliest known depiction of this fish, dating back to around 2750 BC, can be seen on a mural in the tomb of the architect Ti at Saqqara, Egypt.

Egyptians weren't the only Mediterranean people to include the catfish in their art—similar murals were found in Pompeii, roughly 3,000 years later and 1,000 miles north.

While these artworks don't confirm whether electric fish were used medically in both cultures, Egyptian papyri from 4,700 years ago record their use in pain relief.

Later accounts by Pliny and Plutarch also mention the Egyptians using electric eels to treat conditions such as joint pain, migraines, melancholy, and epilepsy.